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I’ve been skeptical about the AI tools I see emerging in my Twitter feed.

So many of my WordPress friends are using these tools to code, write articles, build websites, and even develop their own AI products. But I’ve been struggling to catch on. Until I saw a thread from Kim Coleman in Post Status about her success with better prompts in ChatGPT.

So like any podcasters would do — I invited her on the show to learn more.

The Right Prompts Unlock AI’s Potential

Both Matt and Kim initially struggled to get good results from ChatGPT and similar AI tools. They found the content too generic and not helpful for their WordPress needs. The breakthrough came when they learned to craft detailed, structured prompts to give the AI more context. Instead of just saying “summarize this blog post,” they give background like: “You are an expert WordPress content creator. Summarize this blog post in a conversational tone for our podcast listeners.” Kim shares prompts she uses to turn video transcripts into step-by-step tutorials, and to turn technical changelog notes into readable blog posts. Carefully shaping the prompt helps the AI stay on track.

Trying New AI Tools Yields Mixed Results

Matt has had more success using Claude.ai instead of ChatGPT to generate show notes by giving it two separate interview transcripts. The key is uploading both transcripts at once so the AI doesn’t confuse information between interviews. Kim experimented with some tools like ContentScale and others where you fill out forms instead of chatting. She didn’t find these as effective as crafting her own prompts in a chat interface. They agree that graphic and video AI tools like Midjourney are not yet ready for marketing assets, though they see potential in the future.

AI’s Role in WordPress’ Future

There is some debate around integrating AI directly into WordPress products. If it’s just a basic tool that pastes in text, it may not add much value and could even backfire if it provides bad results. More complex integrations like LifterLMS using AI as a “coach” to guide course creation show more promise. This takes into account the human goals instead of just spitting out generic content. Matt and Kim agree responsible humans are still needed to oversee AI tools, but they will likely continue shaping parts of the WordPress workflow. Using the right prompts unlocks the benefits while avoiding potential downsides.

Important links

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Sarah Manguso

The AI-powered Podcast Player